A man - often a bespectacled one - glued to his laptop, more often than not seated next to the head coach, seems to have become a permanent fixture in the ever-expanding line-up of support staff that cricket teams feature these days.

His designation - video analyst, analyst, or performance analyst - may differ from one set-up to another, but his role is increasingly being accepted and acknowledged as important by all teams. Times have changed.

"In 2002, we used to run from pillar to post, trying to convince Ranji Trophy coaches and captains of the importance of analytics," says Prasanna Agoram, who works as the performance analyst of South Africa's national team and the IPL franchise Royal Challengers Bangalore. "Nobody back then thought that men with laptops could make a difference to a team's performance.

Now not only do all the IPL and Ranji teams have analysts, almost all the Under-19 teams in India also have them.

The advent of Twenty20 cricket has had a large part to play in the change. What was essentially a post-mortem and opposition-analysis tool had to become a real-time analysis tool to stay relevant in instant cricket. Currently the three majors in data analysis in the Indian cricket market -
SportsMechanics, Sporting Minds and Kadamba - have their own versions of real-time decision-support systems.

"The game changes within a matter of a couple of balls, so you have to provide real-time inputs," says Subramanian Ramakrishnan, popularly known as Ramky, the founder-director of SportsMechanics. "A combination of mathematical algorithm formulae, situation of the game, and gut feeling helps you come up with a solution that can change the course of a game.

"Usually players out in the middle look at the scoreboard and play accordingly. Here the dugout handles the analysis and a player only has to focus on execution."

Ramky has played a pivotal role in forcing Indian sports set-ups to take data analysis seriously. After being appointed as the Indian cricket team's performance analyst in 2003, he went on to found SportsMechanics and also diversified into performance analysis in Olympic sports. SportsMechanics now helps the likes of badminton player Saina Nehwal in opponent analysis, and also has the Indian national cricket team as a key client. Four IPL teams - Mumbai Indians, Chennai Super Kings, Delhi Daredevils and Pune Warriors - have been using SportsMechanics' T20 software, Over the Rope, this season.

The real-time decision-making system that analysts provide, if used effectively, might provide as much input as a key member of the support staff does in a game. The software enables a coach to survey all the possible options that are feasible during a game.

For instance, say Mumbai are playing Super Kings and Ravindra Jadeja takes a couple of quick wickets. The software will present all the historical and predictive data of the remaining Mumbai batsmen to their coach, helping him decide on the best possible option in terms of whom to send in to bat next.

T20 cricket has had a major impact on the players' mindset and on the market dynamics of cricket. Analytics has been affected too. Earlier players were assessed on their average, more or less. When ODIs started to dominate international cricket, terms like strike rate and economy rate came into vogue. With T20, the goalposts have been moved again.

"T20s have made data analysis more complex," says AR Srikkanth, Kolkata Knight Riders' analyst. "For instance, for a batsman, a release shot - the stroke that follows a couple of dot balls - has become very important, so you have to let a bowler know what a batsman's release shot usually is.

"T20s have made data analysis more complex. For instance, for a batsman, a release shot - the stroke that follows a couple of dot balls - has become very important, so you have to let a bowler know what a batsman's release shot usually is"

AR Srikkanth, KKR's analyst

"For a bowler, the comeback ball - the one after being hit for a four or a six - is critical. If you don't focus on the comeback ball, you may end up conceding 20 or 25 runs in an over without realising it."

This means that IPL teams don't just look at the overall strike rate and economy rate of a batsman or a bowler while pursuing players. "When it comes to signing a domestic batsman, the main factors that we delve into are the number of times he has finished games for a team, how many times has he been involved in match-winning partnerships, number of balls and dot balls he faces, his ratio of
rotating strike, and the ability to hit boundaries," says Srikkanth.

As for bowlers, just like a batsman's innings is broken down into groups of every ten balls he faces, a bowler gets a detailed breakdown of his spell. "It matters a lot as to whether a bowler prefers to bowl all his four overs at one go or in three or four spells. The kind of balls he bowls in a particular spell have to be made known to the batsmen in advance," Prasanna says.

The IPL has brought in an unprecedented monetary dimension to cricket - not only in terms of player purses but also of players being remunerated differently. Cricket analysts need to factor the economic aspect in their data crunching.

"There is a good chance of market value playing on a player's mind. It may result in him prioritising personal interest over his team's interest. Such a possibility is eradicated if you notice such a trend while analysing performances in detail," Ramky says.

Considering data analysts watch more video footage of competitive cricket all over the world than anyone else in a dressing room, their involvement in IPL auctions is on the rise. It was Srikkanth who first suggested KKR take a punt on Sunil Narine's unorthodox offspin two years ago when they wanted a quality spinner.

Prasanna says he will think a thousand times before suggesting RCB pay a million dollars for a pace bowler, considering he will play half his games "on belters in Bangalore".

While data analysts may and do differ on the calibre and value of a particular player, they are in unison when it comes to their job titles, and the tendency to refer to them as "video analysts". Not just because their job is much more than just watching videos, but also because most of them are qualified coaches.

"I don't know who coined that term but we would rather prefer being referred to as a performance analyst." Srikkanth says. "I hope there comes a day when a performance analyst will be known either as 'intelligence provider' or 'assistant coach'."

I agree with the author that video analysis in cricket can never be over-emphasised.I am aware that the Indian team has Ramky the analyst. I am not too sure however how much of his analyses are used by M S Dhoni as a captain or the bowlers. I believe the analyst can work out the strengths and weaknesses of a particular batsman and give a mean length and direction to bowl to.The field placements too for a type of bowler based on the likelihood of a particular batsman playing a shot based on his natural inclination and strengths is what needs to be worked out. Thus if the South Africans are troubled by a bowler bowling to a specific length then that is what a coach must be preparing his wards during nets. In today's world all this is quite possible unlike what it may have been during the days of Bradman and others. I believe that Ramki has a big role to play in preparing the players for the tours of South Africa and New Zealand based on data of teams which have had success there.

ashwath.w
on May 15, 2013, 9:58 GMT

@Kingowl - You've overlooked the fact that Chennai and Mumbai also use Over the Rope. How did you selectively miss that mate? Anyway, may be it has more to do with the team combo rather than the software?

KingOwl
on May 15, 2013, 1:01 GMT

"Delhi Daredevils and Pune Warriors - have been using SportsMechanics' T20 software, Over the Rope, this season." Ah, that explains everything!!

on May 14, 2013, 19:04 GMT

As a person I am very inclined to give a thumbs up to this approach. But one should realize that this is a very new method of decision making. Predictive analysis with historical data can be used only and only if there is a baseline to compare data with. For e.g. A batsman's "rotation ratio" is a great thing to measure. But to use the data to judge his talent, we need to compare it to rotation ratios of other batsman who might have played under circumstances similar to the player being assessed. Unless this thing's being done for the last ten years or so... I think the gut will continue to play a role in decision making in cricket. Besides, its hard to imagine someone like Dhoni getting sooo granular with analytics. Was there a software at work when he promoted himself over Yuvi in 2011 WC final?? I doubt it.

on May 14, 2013, 15:11 GMT

@ravikini

Perhaps the video analyst could have predicted that sending Watson down the order could be a good choice. On the same note, we cannot garner too much by looking into one innings a batsman plays. "In T20 matches your best players play upfront and this is universally accepted fact." It is a universally accepted fact by who? It doesn't seem to stop Dhoni and Pollard influencing games from down the order, and few would dispute that they are two of the best batsmen in T20, let alone their own teams.

I still think though, if you were to look at general pitch maps, and the types of delivery that cause batsmen the most problems in the death overs, the yorker would surely rank quite highly in terms of effectiveness. Very few batsmen can play the scoop shot well against it, and most of the time, when they do execute it, it is against a half volley, not a yorker such as the one that Awana dismissed AB de Villiers with in today's match. Try playing a 'release shot' against a yorker.

on May 14, 2013, 10:11 GMT

much ado about nothing!!!
this is something that any good captain/coach already knows. A release shot oh my god. As if batsman is going to play that shot after every 2 balls.
This is cricket not chess where you can run scenarios. The only good things that this analysis can do is improving a players technique or studying an opponents technique. Even then it will fail as international cricket is 95% temperament and 5% technique. Surely these guys know how to spin a yarn. How come great captains like Brearley were able to do all that without computers?.

ravikini
on May 13, 2013, 19:06 GMT

All said and done, it is the execution part which has to be pulled off by the concerned player. Gut instincts are the best and also common sense. Don't turn a simple beautiful game in to a commercial jargon.
For Instance in yesterdays match of RR V/s CSK, would the Video Analyst or whatever software have predicted sending Watson down the order....??
Absolutely no. In T20 matches your best players play upfront and this is universally accepted fact. I still believe it's the gut feeling and situation analysis which rule the roost and not some software. Don't turn the game in to a robot mode.

harshadphadke
on May 13, 2013, 13:05 GMT

Yaswanth, yes I agree with you.This extensive analysis definitely helps but players often play on instincts.For e.g. in yesterdays match Watto & Binny just went after Ashwin without allowing him to settle down,they probably caught the pulse of a nervous spinner on a pitch that was hard to play fast bowling on.That over was the one which gave them a momentum and then they just went after all the bowlers. Watto acknowledged that it was a instinctive decision.All these are intangible things and only the players out in the middle know how exactly the things are/will pan out

Yaswanth.Ram
on May 13, 2013, 12:21 GMT

No matter what analysis you do, players will follow their instincts in most of the cases.

Sir.Ivor
on May 13, 2013, 4:45 GMT

I agree with the author that video analysis in cricket can never be over-emphasised.I am aware that the Indian team has Ramky the analyst. I am not too sure however how much of his analyses are used by M S Dhoni as a captain or the bowlers. I believe the analyst can work out the strengths and weaknesses of a particular batsman and give a mean length and direction to bowl to.The field placements too for a type of bowler based on the likelihood of a particular batsman playing a shot based on his natural inclination and strengths is what needs to be worked out. Thus if the South Africans are troubled by a bowler bowling to a specific length then that is what a coach must be preparing his wards during nets. In today's world all this is quite possible unlike what it may have been during the days of Bradman and others. I believe that Ramki has a big role to play in preparing the players for the tours of South Africa and New Zealand based on data of teams which have had success there.

ashwath.w
on May 15, 2013, 9:58 GMT

@Kingowl - You've overlooked the fact that Chennai and Mumbai also use Over the Rope. How did you selectively miss that mate? Anyway, may be it has more to do with the team combo rather than the software?

KingOwl
on May 15, 2013, 1:01 GMT

"Delhi Daredevils and Pune Warriors - have been using SportsMechanics' T20 software, Over the Rope, this season." Ah, that explains everything!!

on May 14, 2013, 19:04 GMT

As a person I am very inclined to give a thumbs up to this approach. But one should realize that this is a very new method of decision making. Predictive analysis with historical data can be used only and only if there is a baseline to compare data with. For e.g. A batsman's "rotation ratio" is a great thing to measure. But to use the data to judge his talent, we need to compare it to rotation ratios of other batsman who might have played under circumstances similar to the player being assessed. Unless this thing's being done for the last ten years or so... I think the gut will continue to play a role in decision making in cricket. Besides, its hard to imagine someone like Dhoni getting sooo granular with analytics. Was there a software at work when he promoted himself over Yuvi in 2011 WC final?? I doubt it.

on May 14, 2013, 15:11 GMT

@ravikini

Perhaps the video analyst could have predicted that sending Watson down the order could be a good choice. On the same note, we cannot garner too much by looking into one innings a batsman plays. "In T20 matches your best players play upfront and this is universally accepted fact." It is a universally accepted fact by who? It doesn't seem to stop Dhoni and Pollard influencing games from down the order, and few would dispute that they are two of the best batsmen in T20, let alone their own teams.

I still think though, if you were to look at general pitch maps, and the types of delivery that cause batsmen the most problems in the death overs, the yorker would surely rank quite highly in terms of effectiveness. Very few batsmen can play the scoop shot well against it, and most of the time, when they do execute it, it is against a half volley, not a yorker such as the one that Awana dismissed AB de Villiers with in today's match. Try playing a 'release shot' against a yorker.

on May 14, 2013, 10:11 GMT

much ado about nothing!!!
this is something that any good captain/coach already knows. A release shot oh my god. As if batsman is going to play that shot after every 2 balls.
This is cricket not chess where you can run scenarios. The only good things that this analysis can do is improving a players technique or studying an opponents technique. Even then it will fail as international cricket is 95% temperament and 5% technique. Surely these guys know how to spin a yarn. How come great captains like Brearley were able to do all that without computers?.

ravikini
on May 13, 2013, 19:06 GMT

All said and done, it is the execution part which has to be pulled off by the concerned player. Gut instincts are the best and also common sense. Don't turn a simple beautiful game in to a commercial jargon.
For Instance in yesterdays match of RR V/s CSK, would the Video Analyst or whatever software have predicted sending Watson down the order....??
Absolutely no. In T20 matches your best players play upfront and this is universally accepted fact. I still believe it's the gut feeling and situation analysis which rule the roost and not some software. Don't turn the game in to a robot mode.

harshadphadke
on May 13, 2013, 13:05 GMT

Yaswanth, yes I agree with you.This extensive analysis definitely helps but players often play on instincts.For e.g. in yesterdays match Watto & Binny just went after Ashwin without allowing him to settle down,they probably caught the pulse of a nervous spinner on a pitch that was hard to play fast bowling on.That over was the one which gave them a momentum and then they just went after all the bowlers. Watto acknowledged that it was a instinctive decision.All these are intangible things and only the players out in the middle know how exactly the things are/will pan out

Yaswanth.Ram
on May 13, 2013, 12:21 GMT

No matter what analysis you do, players will follow their instincts in most of the cases.

Sir.Ivor
on May 13, 2013, 4:45 GMT

I agree with the author that video analysis in cricket can never be over-emphasised.I am aware that the Indian team has Ramky the analyst. I am not too sure however how much of his analyses are used by M S Dhoni as a captain or the bowlers. I believe the analyst can work out the strengths and weaknesses of a particular batsman and give a mean length and direction to bowl to.The field placements too for a type of bowler based on the likelihood of a particular batsman playing a shot based on his natural inclination and strengths is what needs to be worked out. Thus if the South Africans are troubled by a bowler bowling to a specific length then that is what a coach must be preparing his wards during nets. In today's world all this is quite possible unlike what it may have been during the days of Bradman and others. I believe that Ramki has a big role to play in preparing the players for the tours of South Africa and New Zealand based on data of teams which have had success there.

Yaswanth.Ram
on May 13, 2013, 12:21 GMT

No matter what analysis you do, players will follow their instincts in most of the cases.

harshadphadke
on May 13, 2013, 13:05 GMT

Yaswanth, yes I agree with you.This extensive analysis definitely helps but players often play on instincts.For e.g. in yesterdays match Watto & Binny just went after Ashwin without allowing him to settle down,they probably caught the pulse of a nervous spinner on a pitch that was hard to play fast bowling on.That over was the one which gave them a momentum and then they just went after all the bowlers. Watto acknowledged that it was a instinctive decision.All these are intangible things and only the players out in the middle know how exactly the things are/will pan out

ravikini
on May 13, 2013, 19:06 GMT

All said and done, it is the execution part which has to be pulled off by the concerned player. Gut instincts are the best and also common sense. Don't turn a simple beautiful game in to a commercial jargon.
For Instance in yesterdays match of RR V/s CSK, would the Video Analyst or whatever software have predicted sending Watson down the order....??
Absolutely no. In T20 matches your best players play upfront and this is universally accepted fact. I still believe it's the gut feeling and situation analysis which rule the roost and not some software. Don't turn the game in to a robot mode.

on May 14, 2013, 10:11 GMT

much ado about nothing!!!
this is something that any good captain/coach already knows. A release shot oh my god. As if batsman is going to play that shot after every 2 balls.
This is cricket not chess where you can run scenarios. The only good things that this analysis can do is improving a players technique or studying an opponents technique. Even then it will fail as international cricket is 95% temperament and 5% technique. Surely these guys know how to spin a yarn. How come great captains like Brearley were able to do all that without computers?.

on May 14, 2013, 15:11 GMT

@ravikini

Perhaps the video analyst could have predicted that sending Watson down the order could be a good choice. On the same note, we cannot garner too much by looking into one innings a batsman plays. "In T20 matches your best players play upfront and this is universally accepted fact." It is a universally accepted fact by who? It doesn't seem to stop Dhoni and Pollard influencing games from down the order, and few would dispute that they are two of the best batsmen in T20, let alone their own teams.

I still think though, if you were to look at general pitch maps, and the types of delivery that cause batsmen the most problems in the death overs, the yorker would surely rank quite highly in terms of effectiveness. Very few batsmen can play the scoop shot well against it, and most of the time, when they do execute it, it is against a half volley, not a yorker such as the one that Awana dismissed AB de Villiers with in today's match. Try playing a 'release shot' against a yorker.

on May 14, 2013, 19:04 GMT

As a person I am very inclined to give a thumbs up to this approach. But one should realize that this is a very new method of decision making. Predictive analysis with historical data can be used only and only if there is a baseline to compare data with. For e.g. A batsman's "rotation ratio" is a great thing to measure. But to use the data to judge his talent, we need to compare it to rotation ratios of other batsman who might have played under circumstances similar to the player being assessed. Unless this thing's being done for the last ten years or so... I think the gut will continue to play a role in decision making in cricket. Besides, its hard to imagine someone like Dhoni getting sooo granular with analytics. Was there a software at work when he promoted himself over Yuvi in 2011 WC final?? I doubt it.

KingOwl
on May 15, 2013, 1:01 GMT

"Delhi Daredevils and Pune Warriors - have been using SportsMechanics' T20 software, Over the Rope, this season." Ah, that explains everything!!

ashwath.w
on May 15, 2013, 9:58 GMT

@Kingowl - You've overlooked the fact that Chennai and Mumbai also use Over the Rope. How did you selectively miss that mate? Anyway, may be it has more to do with the team combo rather than the software?

Sir.Ivor
on May 13, 2013, 4:45 GMT

I agree with the author that video analysis in cricket can never be over-emphasised.I am aware that the Indian team has Ramky the analyst. I am not too sure however how much of his analyses are used by M S Dhoni as a captain or the bowlers. I believe the analyst can work out the strengths and weaknesses of a particular batsman and give a mean length and direction to bowl to.The field placements too for a type of bowler based on the likelihood of a particular batsman playing a shot based on his natural inclination and strengths is what needs to be worked out. Thus if the South Africans are troubled by a bowler bowling to a specific length then that is what a coach must be preparing his wards during nets. In today's world all this is quite possible unlike what it may have been during the days of Bradman and others. I believe that Ramki has a big role to play in preparing the players for the tours of South Africa and New Zealand based on data of teams which have had success there.